Head of Discipline - Medical Science

Email: jan.guerin@tudublin.ie

Tel: (01) 220 5540

Biography

Dr Jan Guerin graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1998 with a PhD in Immunology. She continued her research on the pathogenesis of the Antiphospholipid Syndrome as a Postdoctoral Scientist at the Department of Immunology, St James Hospital and Trinity College Dublin and subsequently as a Visiting Research Fellow to the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia with Professor Steven Krilis. During her time at the University of New South Wales she secured a position in 2002 as Lecturer with the National Centre for HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (renamed the Kirby Institute) moving into the area of clinical research on primary HIV infection and long-term non progression in HIV. On her return to Ireland in 2004, she was appointed as the In vitro Diagnostic (IVD) Specialist and subsequently the IVD Product Manager with the Health Products Regulatory Authority (formerly the Irish Medicines Board) where she represented Ireland on a number of the European Commission IVD Working Groups. In 2008, she secured a position as Programme Manager with Molecular Medicine Ireland with responsibility for the translation research programme. Jan was appointed as Assistant Head of the School of Biological Sciences in 2011.

Qualifications

BSc, PhD (Immunology)

Research Themes

Antiphospholipid Syndrome, HIV infection, in vitro diagnostic regulation

Keywords

Autoantibodies, HIV elite controllers, primary HIV infection, in vitro diagnostics

Key Publications

Guerin J, Murray D, McGrath M, Yuille M, McPartlin J, Doran P. Molecular Medicine Ireland Guidelines for Standardised Biobanking. ISBER Biopreservation and Biobanking 2010; 8 (1) 3-63.

Bugeja M, Booth D, Bennetts B, Guerin J, Kaldor J, Stewart G; Australian Long-Term Non-Progressor Study Group. Analysis of the CCL3-L1 gene for association with HIV-1 susceptibility and disease progression. AIDS. 2004 30;18(7):1069-71.

Guerin J, Sheng Y, Reddel S, Iverson GM, Chapman MG, Krilis SA. Heparin inhibits the binding of beta 2-glycoprotein I to phospholipids and promotes the plasmin-mediated inactivation of this blood protein. Elucidation of the consequences of the two biological events in patients with the anti-phospholipid syndrome. J Biol Chem 2002; 277(4):2644-9

Guerin J, Feighery C, Sim R.B, Jackson J. Antibodies to beta 2-glycoprotein I-a specific marker for the antiphospholipid syndrome. Clin Exp Immunol. 1997; 109(2): 304-9

External Activities/Outreach

• School management lead in the development of a joint CPD programme in Histopathological Dissection for Medical Scientists with the Faculty of Pathology, Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, in collaboration with the Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine (ACSLM).

• School management lead on a European MSc in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition in collaboration with partners at KU Leuven, Belgium, Anhalt University of Applied Science, Germany and Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, Portugal.

• Member of Academy of Clinical Science and Laboratory Medicine Point of Care Advisory Body

• Founding Member of the DIT Women Leaders in Higher Education Network

Research and Academic Interests

My Research interests are in the areas of the pathogenesis of antiphospholipid syndrome, the immunological and host genetic factors associated with long-term non progression in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and in in vitro diagnostics regulation.